Two Sides
by Lily and her tramps
Summary: Thank you to EnlightenedElementalWarrior for pointing out the Legend of Korra category, I thought it would have 'Avatar:' in front of it, but it didn't. Oops! When Korra goes missing from Republic city, one of her oldest friends comes to find her. Once in the city, she meets an equalist. T for language and avatar-style violence.
1. Prologue

AN: Oh hey, look! My first multi-chapter story! *Gasp!* This has been in my catch notes files for a while, but on the thirtieth catch notes will be shutting down! Oh no! So I'm copy-pasting ass loads of story parts into documents on fan fiction so that I can post them.

Side note to my sister: please take my stories off of your account so i can put them on mine? Pwease? O.O

* * *

Prologue

As a child, I had hoped to become the Avatar. I was sickly and weak, and my bending was my greatest strength. I lived in Republic city with my mother and father, until my father died. I hadn't realized what death meant at the age of five, but I knew mother was never the same.

That same year, the Avatar was found. It was not me. Instead, a water tribe girl was the Avatar. I had read up on the Avatar, I knew it was a matter of reincarnation, but nevertheless I wanted to meet the Avatar, to see the girl who had defeated me in my life's goal.

"Mommy, can we go there?" I stared up at my mother and she nodded. Without my father, there wasn't much to keep us there.

We got on a crowded boat of other people wanting to meet the Avatar, all paying each other off to get to the first place in line. A few days in to the trip, I was even more tired that usual. One day, I passed out. Three days later the ship landed, and I still hadn't woken up. As soon as the ship docked, my mother ran out with me in her arms, shoving people out of her way to get me to a healer.

She found an old woman, the oldest in the tribe. My mother was told she was the best healer there. When she begged the woman to heal me, she smiled and went to a nearby house.

"Why don't you come help me, Korra? Think of it as healing practice." A small girl with a big belly ran out.

"Does that mean I won't have to get my face grabbed by strangers any more?" The girl asked loudly. The old woman smiled.

"No Korra, but this is serious, this girl is very sick." Korra turned to look at me and she went quiet. She got on her tip toes and poked my cheek.

"She's _tiny_." Fed up with all the talking, my mother shouted:

_"My daughter's very sick, will you two be helping her or not?!"_ Korra's mouth snapped shut and the old woman nodded. They had my mother lay me down on a mat in a hut and they began to heal me, Korra wearing a look of intense concentration. It took three days, but I woke up eventually.

"Who are you?" I asked them as my mother sobbed in relief.

"My name is Katara, this is Korra." I smiled and waved weakly.

"I'm Avatar Korra! Nice to meet you, Tiny!" I stood up, and held my hand out to Korra.

"Nice to meet you Avatar. My name is Ami, I'm here to fight you." Everyone blinked, too stunned to say anything. I hadn't told my mother why I wanted to meet the Avatar, but I wanted to defeat her and know that my bending still made me strong.

I pulled the water from a bowl nearby and shot it at her. An earthy wall defended her, and flames shot from behind it. I doused them and ran around to the other side of the wall, shooting jagged ice through her clothes and pining her to the wall. I was about to cover her in ice, but Korra breathed fire, which shot me back onto my butt. I lied there panting and crying, my bending had failed.

"Hey Tiny, what's wrong? Did I burn you?" Korra stood over me, offering a hand.

"N-no! My bending f-failed. You _beat_ me!" I sat up and wiped my nose on my sleeve, openly pouting.

"Tiny, I'm _supposed_ to be the strongest. If you were stronger than me, that'd be a _big_ problem."

"F-fine." Suddenly, her face lit up.

"Wanna go penguin sledding?!"

* * *

As a child, I loved to play pranks. I would put a bucket of water on my brother Jiro's door so he'd get wet whenever he walked through. I would pop out from under the tables at my parents' restaurant and make faces at customers. Most of them laughed, some shouted for me to leave them alone. Mother would always scold me, but she would be smiling while she did it.

I popped out from under the table one day when I was eleven. I heard part of the conversation going on above me, and decided to pop out. Their conversation wasn't good, there was talk about weapons and wars and things I didn't understand. I popped out and froze, as uncomfortable as what they were talking about made me, their glares were worse. My mother pulled me out from under the table and scolded me. She shook the whole time, with a look on her face like she was going to cry. I stopped going under tables after that. But she didn't stop shaking.

Three weeks, one day, and eight hours later, the shop was closed. My little siblings had forgotten, but I still felt guilty, and mother still shook.

The door burst open, the rock wall sliding through it and brushing the chips away. I woke up and shook Jiro awake. He was seven at the time, and he took the brunt of most of my pranks. He grabbed a broken table leg from his workshop by his bed and we left our room. We went downstairs and peeked inside the store, looking for the intruders.

I saw the men from before, one of them had a fire in his hand. I knew what bending was, I also knew that no one in my family could do it. But that man could bend fire.

"Now, where are those little pipsqueaks?" My mother stayed silent, but she was crying. My father was in a quiet heap on the ground. The man smirked, and thrust the fire onto her arm. She screamed as her skin melted, burned and bubbled. My brother shook in fear next to me, and I was shaking, too.

In a terrified rage, I grabbed my brother's table leg and charged at the man. His hand moved from my mother's arm and gripped my neck. I screamed as the fire licked at my face, burning my skin and my hair. My mother grabbed his arm along with my brother, but he didn't let go. My grip on the table leg had never wavered, and I swung it at his shoulder. The man growled and dropped me. He glared at me, then turned to the other man.

"Grab her." The man pulled my mother's arms behind her back. The fire bender smiled as lightning gathered in his hand. He placed his hand on my mother's head, her eyes rolled back in her head as the lightning pulsed through her. She spasmed long after his hand was removed. He walked up to he and whispered in my ear and left. Hours later my neck was bandaged, the metal benders had questioned me, and my younger brother, Milo was told that a bad bender had taken mom and dad. My sister Miho was only a few months old. By the time they took mother's body away, she stopped shaking for the first time in almost a month. But that was no comfort.

After that, Jiro made weapons as much as he fixed our furniture in his workshop. I started hiding weapons in every room. Jiro and I would practice fighting in the back of the shop, Milo joined us when he turned five. When Miho first started making friends with the other children, she asked why we didn't have a mommy and daddy like them.

And after Amon began taking away the triple threats' bending, I joined the equalists.

_This was your fault._


	2. A Coin

AN: Hey look! I'm actually continuing this story! Whoot! I'm also trying to draw a cover for it, but I'm not really a good artist. At all. Anyone how wants to, feel free to put me out of my misery.

* * *

Chapter 1: A Coin

_Korra pouted and kicked the snow at her feet. Ami looked up from her worn copy of the third book of Avatar: The Last Airbender. She was only six, but she practically inhaled the stories off of the pages._

_"What is wrong?" Korra looked up from the ground._

_"There were more face-squeezers today, Tiny. More than usual!" Ami nodded. 'Tiny' was Korra's nickname for Ami, something she felt happy to receive._

_"Well today _is_ the anniversary of the end of the war."_

_"But why do they have to bother _me_ about it, Tiny?!" Ami sighed, hearing the distress lacing her friend's voice._

_"Korra, when the face-squeezers see you, they see the Avatar, not Korra." Korra pouted, her eyes stinging. "There will always be people like that, Korra. But you have to figure out which ones care about _you_, and keep them as close as you can." Ami wrapped her arms around Korra, who leaned down to hug Ami back._

_"Ami, you care about me, right?" Ami looked up at her teary friend. The only other time she looked so upset was when Naga fell on her and broke her ankle._

_"Of course!" Korra smiled and started her water bending training. Ami smiled as Korra danced around her teacher after she mastered a new bending move. Later, Korra would teach the move to her, a pattern they had developed to help Korra remember the moves she learned._

* * *

After five weeks without any letters from Korra, Ami packed up her clothes and a weeks worth of food. She got on the next boat to Republic city and left with messages from Katara and both of Korra's parents.

After eight days on the boat, Ami stood once again on the streets of Republic city. Standing there by the water, she felt different, like the city she was born in had changed. She had kept up with the news on her radio, especially once Korra left, but there was something in the air that the news reports didn't quite explain. There was a bitter tangy taste, a chord so taught it would snap at the slightest of pressures. So she decided that, as soon as she found it, she'd sit her ass down on that chord and watch what happened.

She wandered around, trying to refamiliarize herself with the city. She walked into a park that she remembered from her childhood, the park where her family would have picnics when it was warm and make snowmen when it was cold.

"Join the equalists! Defeat the injustice of bending!" Ami turned to the man speaking, he was standing on a platform with a megaphone. He had huge sideburns and an even larger mouth that spewed propaganda like a skunktoad spewed stench. She quickly walked up to the man's platform, the ominous masked face behind him daunting her. _If Amon has Korra..._

"Hey, bending is not an injustice!" She said, staring at the man.

"Oh yeah? And I bet you're a bender," He accused, still speaking through his megaphone.

"What if I am? Just because I disagree with you doesn't mean that I'm a bender."

"Only a bender would agree with the putrid inequality in this city's government!"

"But I don't agree with it. I think a curfew for non benders simply because they're non benders is absurd." _Oh yes mister, I've done my homework._

"Y-you're just saying that to convert me to your sick cause!"

"Oh? And what would that 'sick cause' be?"

"I-_inequality_!"

"Well, do you-"

"Hey! What's going on here?" A park guard shouted from a nearby bridge, "are you two equalists?!" _As if anyone would just admit to that! Please!_

"No sir, I'm a bender." She lifted drops of water from the fountain nearby to prove it.

"Well_ I_ most certainly am _not_! _I_ am an _equalist_!" The man shouted. Ami cringed inwardly, _does he have no self-preservation instinct?_

"All right, I'm taking you in!" The guard grabbed the man, who automatically began shouting about injustice.

"Why? He's not hurting anyone by speaking his mind." The guard and the equalist gave her odd looks.

"Miss, you're obviously new to Republic city, but being an equalist is a serious crime," the guard said. "You seem to be a nice young lady, please keep away from troublesome people like him. G'day miss." Ami pouted, glaring at the guard. _So that's what happens_, she thought. She walked out of the park, lost in thoughts about Korra and about equalists.

Ami stopped walking and looked around, the park nowhere in sight. _Oops_, she thought, _I guess I walked farther than I thought_. On closer inspection, this part of the city didn't look like the rest of the city. It was grayer, the children were smaller and thinner than she knew was healthy - she knew that from experience, and some of the children seemed unwashed. The houses were not grand and spectacular, or even well kept. There seemed to be cracks on every house, the well-worn sidewalks were growing small patches of stubborn grass in their veins.

"Well, hey there little lady," a man said as he slid out from an alley. "Mind lendin' me some dough?" The man had cold amber eyes and a red suit, a fire dimly blazing in his left hand. He stood at least one head taller than her, and the look on his face put her on edge.

"Um, no, sorry." Ami shrunk away from the man, but every step away was matched with a larger step closer. She tripped on a weedy break in the side walk and found herself stuck between a dangerous bender and a wall.

"You sure?" He loomed over her, the fire blazing in his hand. Fear rose and twisted her stomach, a small squeak struggled out of her mouth.

"Leave her alone." A man stood between them, a blade in his hand at the bender's neck. The fire bender stepped away, an uneasy smirk on his face. Once he had left, the man put the sword back in a sheath hidden in his clothes. He was wearing plain clothes and a worn apron. His pants were reddish-brown and baggy, like he had gotten them from someone bigger, and his grey shirt had a high collar that covered all of his neck. Even though it was overly large like his pants, the neck of the shirt seemed to cling to his skin. His hair was long and shaggy, giving his surprisingly young face a roguish look.

"Um...thank you." He smiled, and Ami blushed. _What the...? Calm down, Ami!_

"No problem. You new in town?" She nodded. "I'm Nero, I run the shop." He nodded behind her, and she realized it was a restaurant that she was leaning on.

"Oh! Can I order something then?"

"What, as a thanks?" He shook his head. "Nope, I'm not taking charity."

"Oh yeah? Well, have you considered that I might actually be hungry? I _did_ just walk all the way from the docks." He smiled again.

"Alright, if you put it that way." Nero lead her into the restaurant, where two boys were fighting with mops. "Hey, didn't I say to mop with those?" The younger boys quickly stopped fighting and started mopping, whistling and pretending they'd been doing it the whole time. Ami giggled into her hand and sat down on a stool near the kitchen. While she read the menu she snuck peeks at Nero, admiring the young man as he pulled his hair back and started working.

"Sooo, you're the one who squeaked like a mouse-parrot," the older boy with a mop asked. He looked like Nero, his eyes were the same amber hue, and his black hair hung down to his chin but instead of the shaggy look his brother's had, his hair was neatly parted in the middle. Ami blushed.

"I was that obvious?" The boy shrugged half-heartedly.

"Jiro. Take the lady's order." The boy pouted at Nero's turned back.

"So, what would you like?" Nero turned away from the dishes he was doing and looked at Ami.

"Try the tiger-shrimp. It's really good." She nodded and the youngest boy snickered behind her. She ignored it and continued talking to Jiro.

"What happened to your arms?" She gingerly touched the bandages on his arm, worried about hurting him.

"My brothers and I spar in the back sometimes. You saw my brother's knight in shining armour act out there?" He sniffed,"I taught him that." Nero chuckled.

"_Sure_, Jiji, that's why I beat both you and Milo." Jiro palled.

"Hey, I've beaten you before!"

"Only on our birthdays, Jiji. And we both know he lets us win." The youngest boy, Milo, said.

"Shut up, Mimi!" Jiro grabbed his younger brother and nuggied him. Nero wordlessly placed the food in front of Ami. She put a shrimp in her mouth and jumped out of her chair.

"_Hothothothot!_ Oh Yue, _HOT!_" She screamed. Jiro and Milo burst out laughing, and even Nero chuckled as the mild-mannered girl ran around searching for water with tears streaming down her face. Nero mercifully held out a glass of milk, which she downed immediately. Once she sat down and caught her breath, she pouted. "What was that for?" Nero smiled, turning her insides in to a puddle.

"You have food in your bag. I said I didn't want charity, silly girl." He ruffled her head, an action that frustrated and enthralled her. However, it also reminded her of her purpose in going to republic city, and the urgency of her task.

"Crap! I forgot!" She slammed money down on the table and ran out, leaving change and the rest of her shrimp on the table.

"Huh, she really did just end up giving us charity." Nero put away the money and watched his brothers drool. "Go ahead." The boys grabbed up handfulls of shrimp and stuffed them in their mouths. They ran around the room, laughing at the fools they were making of themselves.

Ami ran to the docks and jumped onto the water, freezing the water into a path for her. She sped across the ice and leapt on to Airbender Island. Ikki was following a butterfly and smiled when she saw Ami.

"Hi, Ami! What are you doing here? Did Korra invite you? How do you like the city so far?"

"Korra's here?"

"Yep, she came back a few days ago, she just woke up." Ikki's head tilted to the side, "The pretty firebender didn't tell you?" Ami shook her head.

"No, Ikki can you take me to her?" Ikki nodded and ran off with Ami on her heels. They ran past monks and dodged a fireferret, finally coming to a sliding door at the end of a hall. Ami ran in, and four heads turned to face her. Korra was sitting on her bed, bandages covering her body. Ami's eyes stung with tears, she turned to Ikki and grabbed her face. "_Iiiiikkiiiii!_ Why did no one tell us about this?! You could've just sent a _letter!_"

"Evewy won wub wooking fow Kowwa! We wewe busy!" Ami let go of Ikki's face, the energy from her outburst visibly draining.

"Ami, why are you here?" Ami looked up from the floor and wiped her face.

"Everyone was really worried about you, so I went to look for you."

"But Tiny, you _know_ you don't do well with traveling!" Ami sat down on her friend's bed and patted her leg.

"Yeah, but I'm okay," she smiled. "I've gotten tougher!" she flexed her arms underneath her dress's long sleves. Korra laughed. "I have! I bet I'm not even that much shorter than you!"

"Tiny, you're a year younger than me, you'll _always_ be that much shorter." Korra ruffled her head and she blushed.

"Wow, people really like noogies today," she mumbled.

"Huh? What happened?"

"Um, nothing, what happened to you? You dropped of the face of the planet for five weeks!" Korra sighed.

"Can we not talk about it? At least, not right now?" Ami nodded. "Good. Oh, and these are my friends that I told you about."

"Mako, Bolin, aaaaaaaaand...Asami?" The girl nodded and the boy next to her held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you..."

"My name's Ami. Did Korra not tell you guys about me?"

"I told Bolin, but Mako and Asami are usually _busy_." Ami picked up on the way she said 'busy', and it seemed Mako did, too.

"Oh. Alright."

"So? How are you liking Republic city?"

"I don't really know, I mean, this equalist was shouting propaganda against benders," Korra and Mako shared a look, they both knew exactly who it was, "but then he got _arrested_, then I got lost and ended up in a _very_ different part of town, then I almost got mugged-"

"WHAT?!" Everyone winced and covered their ears, and Asami left.

"_Almost_, Korra, almost. This guy owns a shop near by and he made the guy back off. He had a sword and when I said I wanted to order something he said he didn't take charity, but I went in anyways. But then he tricked me into eating something really spicy! And his younger brother hit on me."

"Was the younger brother cute?" Ami thought about Jiro for a second.

"Yeah, I guess. His brother was cuter though." Korra chuckled, and Mako and Bolin just sat there, stunned. Since when was Korra worried about guys being _cute_…?

"Oh! Speaking of spicy food, I'm starving! Was the food any good?" Ami nodded. "Mind leading the way Tiny? I've got a spicy food craving." Ami shook her head.

"You're injured, so you've got to stay here. I'll take someone else with me, okay?" Korra sighed.

"Okay, fine."

"I'll go!" Bolin's hand shot up as Pabu wrapped around his shoulders. Ami sighed.

"Okay then. Let's go."


	3. A River

Chapter 2: A River

_Nero sat down on the steps outside his parents – no, his – shop. Miho had cried almost non-stop, she had only stopped a few minutes ago. He realized it had only been three days, and finally, he broke down. Out on the steps, in the middle of the night, the grief finally hit him and didn't stop. He heard soft footsteps padding closer and quickly wiped his tears away. He grabbed the sword Jiro had made for him and pointed it towards the sound._

_"Relax, it's just me." A red-haired girl stepped out of the shadows and Nero put down his sword. He remembered her, her parents had been killed a few moths before his. There had been no funeral, just like with his parents. There wasn't enough money in either family to afford one._

_"Mikka, right?" The girl nodded. "I'm Nero." He held out his hand for her to shake. Just as she took it, a cry rang out from his younger siblings' room. He cursed._

_"C'mon, I have a little brother, I'll know how to shut her up." They went inside and within minutes, they were back outside and all was quiet. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your neck?" Nero grimaced._

_"Firebender." Mikka put a hand on his back and nodded._

_"Same one that...y'know..."_

_"Killed my parents?" She nodded. "Yeah."_

_"A waterbender got mine," she said sadly._

_"Huh. That's unusual."_

_"He was a triple threat." Nero nodded. Even at eleven, they both knew about bender gangs. "Um, if you have any more trouble with your sister, let me know." Nero nodded._

* * *

"Hey Nero," Mikka smiled and sat down next to the almost-empty bowl of tiger-shrimp and took the last one.

"Hey!" Milo stormed off, pouting.

"_Hellooo_, Mikka," Jiro slid the bowl away and sat down next to her. Mikka scoffed and shoved him off his chair. He yelped and caught himself, Nero and Mikka laughed.

"So, what's up?"

"Nero has a crush!" Jiro shouted, grinning evilly when Nero's face went red.

"_What?!_ Who?"

"I'm gonna go work in the back," Mikka grabbed his sleeve, her full attention on Jiro's account of Nero's crush.

"She's some new girl Nero saved from a mugging. She's really quiet, except when something takes her by surprise. She looked kind of like a doll. And she's got a thing for Nero, too," Jiro said conspiratorially. Mikka smiled brightly.

"Oooooh! We have to get them together!" She turned to Nero. "And don't you dare say you don't like her, because we know you too well."

"I...wasn't going to," he blushed, "but she doesn't like me like that."

"She was staring at you. That, and she wasn't interested in me when I hit on her." Light footsteps on the stairs at the back of the shop proceeded the youngest sibling's entrance.

"Who did Jiji hit on?" She asked, rubbing her eye. Mikka picked her up and put her on her lap.

"Jiji hit on the girl Nero likes, Miho." Miho turned to her younger older brother and patted his head.

"_Bad_, Jiji. Don't hit on Nene's girl." Jiro nodded seriously.

"Okay sis." Miho nodded, satisfied with her brother's response.

"Sis Mikka, can I braid your hair?" Mikka took her hair out of her short ponytail and sat perfectly still. From the moment she could talk, Miho had her brothers and Mikka wrapped around her little finger. The door opened and Bolin stormed in.

"_Oh yeah_, this place is _amazing_, I can _smell it!_" Ami followed, rolling her eyes.

"Do you always shout your opinion on a restaurant as soon as you walk in?"

"Yeah. I never really dislike restaurants, 'cause no matter what they serve it'll always taste good." Mikka and Jiro glanced at Nero, who was staring at the two of them. Mikka stood and held her hand out.

"Hello, I'm Mikka. What's your name?"

"Ami," she took Mikka's hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you." She let go of Mikka's hand and turned to look at Jiro. "Um, did you by any chance break several girls' hearts after I left?"

"No, why?"

"There are a lot of girls outside..._crying_."

"Oh, no that's 'cause they found out that Nero-" Mikka jumped on top of Jiro, covering his mouth with her hands as she sat on him.

"Okay," she glanced nervously at Nero, then back at Mikka. "Is she your girlfriend?" Nero blushed and shook his head.

"Oh, _no!_ No, we're just friends!" He glared at Bolin. "What about you and _him?_"

"Oh, no! I told my friend about this place and she wanted to try your food, but she's bedridden so instead he went with me. To make sure I don't get mugged." Nero's glare disappeared.

"Good." He smiled and pulled his hair back. "So what do you want to order?"

"Can I have one of these!" Bolin pointed at three different things on the menu.

"Will that really be enough for the four of us?" Bolin gave her a confused look.

"Um...I meant for me. I'm a growing boy, you know!"

"Keep eating like that and you'll grow _sideways_." Nero chuckled as Bolin pouted.

"I don't mind, as long as he can pay for it." Ami glanced at him.

"If you eat it, you buy it." He nodded and stared carefully at the menu.

"Um, can I have this one, this one and two of these," Ami pointed at certain things on the menu, ducking her head slightly to hide behind her bangs. "And some tiger-shrimp?" Nero smiled at her.

"Are you sure? Last time you barely ate one." Ami blushed and stared at her feet.

"Well I'm sure that I'll be able to eat more, seeing as I'll be _expecting_ it this time," she smirked up at him and he chuckled.

"Yeah, alright. What does your friend want?" Bolin was still reading through the menu with a look of extreme concentration.

"Bolin, how about tiger-shrimp?" Ami asked, trying to keep the smile out of her voice.

"Yeah, okay." He nodded and put down his menu, the look on his face staying the same. Ami and Nero glanced at each other and laughed as quietly as they could. As Nero made their orders something tugged on the bottom of Ami's dress. She looked down and into Miho's large amber eyes.

"My name's Miho. Can I braid your hair?" Ami smiled and nodded. Miho stood on the chair next to Ami's and Ami turned her chair, keeping her eyes on Nero. "Your hair is pretty. What's pretty big sister's name?"

"My name's Ami. Are you Nero's sister?"

"Uh-huh." Nero looked over his shoulder at Ami. "Big sis Ami, what happened to your hair? Its so soft and shiny." Nero smiled to himself, remembering the feel of her hair from earlier that day.

"Um, it's been like that all my life." Miho took a small section of her hair and braided it, the braid falling on top of her hair and down her back. Miho clipped the end of her braid shut and tapped Mikka, who still sat on Jiro.

"Lookit, isn't it pretty?" Mikka smiled.

"Its very pretty, Miho. Why don't you show Nene?" Nero turned around and glared briefly at Mikka.

"Who's Nene?" Ami asked.

"Um, that's what Miho calls me." Nero said, running a hand through his hair. Ami smiled.

"Aww that's so cute." She turned her back to him, "so, what do you think?"

"Beautiful. _Very_ beautiful." Ami ducked her head slightly and blushed.

"Th-"

_"Thank you Nene!"_ Miho smiled brightly at her brother. He smiled back and went back to making Ami and Bolin's food.

"Um, Nero?" He looked up at Ami.

"Yeah?"

"The girls from earlier, they...they're making _faces_." They all turned to face the windows, and sure enough, the girls were making faces.

"Oh, just do it back," He pulled the sides of his mouth wide and crossed his eyes. "Blegh!"

"Oh! Okay," Ami kept her arms at her sides and stuck out her tongue. "Myeh!" Nero chuckled at Ami's attempt. "W-whats wrong?"

"Nothing! It was cute." Ami blushed.

"Oh...okay." They stared at each other, both smiling slightly as the others continued to make faces at the girls. Nero cleared his throat and they quickly looked away from each other.

"So, uh, your food's ready." He ran his hand through his hair again and blushed.

"Oh, thank you. Um, Bolin, food's ready!" She put her money in his hand and Bolin did the same, Ami quickly grabbed the boxes and rushed out, only to be greeted by Nero's fangirls.

"You! You're the girl Nero likes?"

"Um, what?"

"Oh don't act dumb! Its so _obvious!_ He's so _smiley_ around you! He's never that smiley, not even with Mikka!" Ami blinked, dumbstruck. She gave the food to Bolin and shooed him away.

"...Really?"

"Well _yeah!_ His enigmatic gloominess is part of his _charm!_ It makes his smiles all the more _precious!_"

"What? He's not _gloomy_, what are you talking about?"

"Yeah, 'cause _you_ showed up!" The girl that had spoken last whimpered, her eyes getting teary. "It's not _fair_ that _you_ can make him smile more than _we_ can!" The girl stomped her feet and wailed.

"I...I'm sorry? But if you love him, isn't it good enough just to see him smile?" The girl stopped wailing and gave her a strange look. She ducked under her bangs and blushed. "That, and I really don't think he likes me like that."

"C'mon, don't sell yourself short." Ami turned around and saw Mikka poking her head out the door. "And the rest of you, either buy something or leave." The girls cowered and most left while some went inside.

"T-thank you."

"No problem. You alright?" Ami nodded.

"Yes. Um, what they said, about Nero never smiling..."

"He does smile. Not much though. It got better after a while, I think he just needed time after his parents died."

"What happened?" Mikka grimaced.

"Some benders got them when he was younger...look, it's not my story to tell, ask him about it next time you see him. Now go find your friend, he's waiting around the corner." Ami thanked her again and waved goodbye. She walked to the corner and found Bolin salivating over the food.

"Give it to me, before you get too tempted and eat it." Bolin grudgingly gave her the food.

"Ami, you okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"You're crying all over the food."

"Heh...oh. I'm okay, just a little sad."

"Why?"

"Nero's parents died. It was a while ago, but it must have been so painful for him and his siblings," she wiped her eyes and tried to shake it off.

"Me and Mako's parents died too."

"I'm sorry." He shrugged.

"Its alright. What about you?"

"A firebender killed my dad, my mom got sick a few moths ago. She died too, but at least I knew it was coming, you know?" He nodded, and they walked in silence the rest of the way.


	4. A Doorway

AN: Okay, so I have six chapters of this thing written, an this is the fourth I'm putting up. I'm going to run into a problem soon. Hopefully, I'll bee able to see the last few episodes of the last season of LoK, refresh my memory, figure out how the plot translates, and write it up soon. -_-

* * *

Chapter 3: A Doorway

_"Tiny, whatcha reading?"_

_"The third Avatar book," Ami stated, not looking up from her book._

_"That's you're favorite book?" Ami looked up and nodded. "Why? 'Cause they win the war in that one?"_

_"No, because in this book, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee choose to help the Avatar instead of the firelord. That's my favorite part of the story."_

_"Why? Ty Lee and Mai get arrested and Aang isn't even in that part." Ami smiled, a far off look in her eyes._

_"It's because they chose good. Their families, their friends, their nation was against them. They had everything to loose by choosing to help Aang and his friends, but they did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. I think that's beautiful." Korra sat down on the snow next to her._

_"What if one day I have to do stuff like Aang did?"_

_"Then we'll topple your Firelord together. And then maybe there will be a handsome prince Zuko along the way!" Korra stuck her finger in her mouth and gagged as her friend went misty eyed._

_"Yuck! Why would you like a guy you were fighting like that?"_

_"Well obviously I wouldn't fall for him until he changed sides! Besides, all the guys here a poo faces."_

_"Poo faces?"_

_"Yes Korra, poo faces."_

* * *

"_What?!_"

"I want to go to an equalist rally," Ami said simply. "I want to know what's motivating these people."

"But Ami, we already went to one, and Bolin's bending almost got taken away! Plus, if the metal benders find the rally you're at, you could get _arrested_!"

"Well, I wasn't there when you guys went, and Bolin was only in danger because he had been with the Triple Threats when Amon kidnapped them to make an example out of them. And quite frankly, the equalists have proven themselves smart enough not to get caught. Except for that one guy."

"No, Asami's father was an equalist, _he_ was caught!"

"Well yeah, but that was because he let you into his house. If he hadn't been so good – or bad, depends on how you look at it – at keeping his cover, he wouldn't have been caught."

"Look," Makko stood between the two girls, finally fed up with the argument they had started over dinner, "Ami, I have to agree with Korra, this is a bad idea. But Korra," he turned to Korra and sighed, "how exactly can you stop her? She's as stubborn as you." His mouth curled into a small smile. Korra blushed and looked at Ami.

"Fine. But if anything fishy happens, get out of there or I'll kill you. Got it, Tiny?" Ami nodded and Korra wrapped her friend in a tight hug.

The next day Ami stayed on Airbender Island to help Korra with her training. She watched Korra train and tried to help her with her stance and movements.

"Shouldn't you be trying to find an equalist rally?" Ami shrugged.

"I'm in no rush. Besides, you told me airbending was particularly difficult for you. I want to help." Korra smiled to herself. "I have a question, also. What is with Asami? I haven't seen her since yesterday."

"I don't know. Maybe she and Makko had a fight?"

"How about after you get this, you go ask Makko about Asami and I'll go looking for trouble?" Korra sighed.

"But I'm never going to get this!" Ami put her hand on her back and rubbed circles on her shoulders.

"Shh, just relax, alright?" Korra nodded and took a deep breath. She tried the move Tenzin taught her one more time, a gust of wind proceeding her hand. The girls smiled and hugged each other. "Well, now I'll know to just use Makko as an incentive," Ami giggled as her friend's face flushed.

"Y-yeah? And I'll use Nero for yours!" Ami laughed as Korra ran into the temple to tell the brothers that she had started airbending.

Ami went back into Republic city, meandering through the streets. She walked without a purpose and by noon, she was in front of the restaurant. What the girls had said about Nero's mood echoed in her head, and so she walked in.

"Big sis Ami! Hello!" Miho waved up at her, smiling brightly.

"Hi Miho. Is your brother here?" Ami picked the girl up and balanced her against her hips.

"Which brother? I have a big cooking brother, a big hitting-on brother, and a big little brother."

"Nero. The big cooking brother?" Miho nodded, slightly distracted by Ami's hair.

"He went out last night. I don't know where he is. Jiji's in charge." Ami's brow furrowed.

"Can I talk to him then?" Miho nodded and started braiding a small chunk of her hair.

"Jiji! JIJI!" She screeched. Jiro came down the stairs.

"Oh, hey Ami. Nero's not here," he panted.

"Well, can you tell me where he is?"

"Um, no-"

"Bro come help me with this!" Jiro turned and ran to the back.

"What's going on back there?" Ami followed Jiro to where Milo stood with his brother draped over him, battered and bloody. Miho wailed and hid her head in Ami's shoulder. "Oh spirits! Milo, give him to me and take care of Miho," Milo gave her a mistrustful look. "_Please_, Milo!" She begged, her voice going high and tears welling up in her panic. He handed Nero to her and took Miho's hand.

"Come on Miho. Time to sleep, okay?" Ami and Jiro lifted Nero into his room. The giddy feeling that accompanied being in Nero's bedroom was suppressed by panic as she pulled her bloody hands out from under him.

"Jiro, go get some warm water and a towel." He nodded and ran from the room. "And bandages!" She opened his shirt and looked over his wounds. She took in a ragged breath. "Oh, Yue help me." She whispered and pulled the water from a near by bowl. The water floated on his injuries, glowing and pulsing with his heartbeat. She watched as his wounds closed up, leaving his skin unmarred. She sighed, letting a small wave of relief wash over her. She moved the water back to it's bowl and left the blood on his chest.

"I got what you asked for!" Jiro ran into the room, concern etched in his features. Ami soaked the washcloth and dabbed it across his chest, wiping the blood away. Jiro sighed next to her, his body almost collapsing in relief. "Oh, good. It's not his blood."

"Jiro, does he come home like this alot?" Jiro froze up. "Look I...I care about him, I just want to help."

"Yeah, he does. So does Mikka, usually on the same day."

"Why? What happened to them?" Jiro shook his head.

"I can't tell you." Ami smiled weakly.

"Okay. Can you tell me what the bandage on his neck is for?"

"There's a scar under it, he puts the bandages on so it doesn't freak people out, I guess." Ami frowned. _Why would the scar scare people?_

"Lift up his head a little bit for me?"

"Why?"

"I want to change the bandages." Jiro frowed, but did as she told him.

"He won't like that you saw it. Not even the little ones have seen it."

"Well, tough, because he doesn't have a say at the moment." She tore the bandages and slowly unwrapped them. "Oh...oh." she put her hand over her mouth as fresh tears slid down her face. "What...what happened to him?" She asked, her fingers brushing the mangled skin of his neck. The scar spread down to his collar bone and up the nape of his neck, perpetually an angry red color that stained his pale skin.

"When our parents were killed, he tried to hit the guy, so he grabbed him and...he burned him." Ami rubbed his jaw with the pad of her thumb as she stared at his scar. She sighed and wiped at her eyes. She wrapped the fresh bandages around his neck and tied a knot with shaky hands. Jiro placed Nero back on his pillow and Ami stood. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Please get better," she whispered. She turned to Jiro. "Can you take me to Mikka's house? She might be injured too." Jiro nodded and she followed him out. They found Mikka in a state similar to Nero's. Ami healed Mikka's wounds and left her to rest, but with a detachment she had lacked before.


	5. A Battle

AN: Hi eight people still reading this! (I'm guesstimating, don't judge me.) I've been doing a little riddle with the chapter titles, it's not very good, but see if you can figure it out. Shout out if you do!

Also! If you like think story please review nicely and favorite because I don't want this story to die like my other multi chapter one! (It has no traffic, but I'm going to update it anyway because otherwise I get a case of the guilts!)

And finally, thank you to krikanalo for nicely reviewing so much! It makes my day!

* * *

Chapter 4: A Battle

_"Hey, Nero!" Mikka barged into his restaurant, smirking. He looked up from washing dishes, his face blank._

_"Yes?" She slapped a flyer down in front of him._

_"Do you know what an equalist is?" He nodded. "Their leader can take away people's bending. I saw it, he took away the Triple Threat Triad's leader's bending!" Nero's eyes went wide. "They're actually helping get rid of all the bad benders, they could get the people who killed our parents so they can never hurt anyone again!" Nero thought of his siblings sleeping upstairs, and their safety, which was in danger every day that those benders roamed free. He nodded._

_"Let's do it."_

* * *

The metalbenders shot their tendrils out, whipping at the equalists. Nero had to admit, since Chief Beifong stepped down the metalbenders had become much more ruthless. Metal bit at his side, red blooming and spreading from the slice in his skin.

"Shit!" He gripped his side and Mikka grabbed the metalbender's tendril, electricity speeding through the gauntlet and its wearer. Nero shuddered, the scene hitting too close to home. Mikka limped surprisingly quickly, grabbing him and hiding from the metalbenders.

"Are you alright?" He looked her over as she did the same. "We've gotta get out of here. Before something really bad happens." Mikka and Nero stood supporting each other and looked back at the crashed rally. Amon had escaped as soon as the metalbenders came through the roof, leaving the others to fend for them selves.

Mikka and Nero pulled each other out of the warehouse and back to their houses. Nero collapsed against the back door, too weak and exhausted to open it. The darkness swallowed his vision, _did someone follow me_, he thought, hoping no one had.

In the darkness, Jiro, Milo and Miho were waiting. They wavered at the edges, but their faces were clear. They all frowned, the younger ones were crying while Jiro's face stayed stern.

"Why did you have to go do that? I told you to stop going, I told you it wasn't safe," Jiro berated him and the little ones cried harder.

_No, don't be sad,_ he tried to comfort them, but his voice wasn't working. I did this for you all, so you would be safe. They stared down at him and a man stood at his feet. Nero's chest constricted in panic as he recognized the firebender that killed his parents. He instinctively reached for his bandages, but found he couldn't move either.

_It was your fault, you know,_ the firebender smiled cruelly. _Its because of you that they have no parents, and its your fault that now your brother has to step up and take care of everything. It will always be your fault._ The bender walked away and Nero wished he could move to strangle him.

"It was your fault," Jiro spat.

"You did this, bro," Milo said, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"I-it's your fault, Nene."

"Your fault." _No._

"Your fault." _No!_

"Your fault!" _NO!_

_"YOUR FAULT!"_ As his siblings screamed above him, he felt the weight of the guilt and the pain crushing his body. As soon as he felt like he couldn't take anymore, the weight disapeared and his siblings were drowned out as water surrounded him, warm and gentle. He held his breath as long as he could, only to find that he could breathe. The raw burning pain of each injury slowly faded, and his whole body relaxed. He closed his eyes and let himself be carried along by the water. A feather-light warmth touched his forehead, the smell of mint and jasmine filling his lungs.

"Please get better," a voice whispered. He wanted to reach for it, to pull the comforting touch back toward him, but again he couldn't move. _Dammit_, he thought. His frustration didn't last, and moments later he was floating in the water once again. His normal nightmares were gone, and nothing outside of the calm seemed to matter.

When he woke up, the sunset was streaming into his empty room. Inspcecting himself, he noticed his injuries were gone and his bandages were fresh. He went down into the restaurant feeling better than he had in...a long time. He couldn't keep a smile off his face. When he entered the restaurant, Mikka and his siblings were waiting for him.

"Nero, hey. Are you okay?" His siblings were all staring at him worriedly. The guilt he always felt after rallies wormed it's way into his chest, slowly but surely hacking away at the calm his dream had left him with.

"Yeah, I'm great, actually. How about you, are you alright?" Mikka gave him a small smile.

"Yes, actually. All my injuries disapeared overnight." Jiro gave them both a strange look.

"Uh, you guys didn't _have_ any injuries. There was a lot of blood, but I figured it was somebody else's." Nero and Mikka shared a confused look.

"No, we were injured. I had to drag _him_," Mikka pointed at Nero, "all the way here, _that's_ how bad his wounds were."

"But, when Ami tried to bandage you guys up there was nothing to bandage." Nero's heart stopped and the blood drained from his face.

"A-Ami's the one who...?" he tugged at his fresh bandages, panic swelling up inside him. Jiro caught the fear in his brother's voice.

"Yeah, but don't worry, she didn't freak out or anything." Nero sighed and slumped a bit. "She's just... worried about you. She was really scared for you, really worried." Jiro's expression changed from worried to wary. "She was really afraid Nero," he leaned against a table. _Of course she would worry_, he thought. "You have to stop going to those equalist rallies. Stop fighting the benders. Even if you think this is right, it's not worth it. What if you died, and left the rest of us here?" Nero flinched. "Left me to take care of Milo and Miho. Left Ami alone, crying as much as she was, but over your dead body instead?" Nero slammed his fist on the table, making everyone jump and making Miho whimper.

"_Enough!_" Nero growled, glaring at his brother, "I'm fighting for you! For you, and Milo, and Miho, and," he blushed, "and Ami, too. I'm fighting so that you three can grow up without having to worry about dying like mom and dad did. I want you all safe. Milo and Miho don't even _remember_ what happened, and I don't want them to have to live through anything like that. And Ami..." he ran a hand through his hair, "Ami never has to know what I'm doing." Jiro scowled.

"You _know_ this is wrong," he looked between Nero and Mikka, "Both of you do." He turned to his siblings, who had lost the meaning of the conversation. "Come on. Let's go play upstairs, yeah?" Nero sighed and ran a hand through his hair as Mikka stared solemnly at the floor.

"I think..." he looked up, seeing the change inside her. "I think Jiro might be right." Nero sat down, the air leaving his lungs in one quick exhale.

"Yeah. He's gotten pretty smart." They both laughed half-heartedly, knowing what they would have to do.

Days later, Republic city fell to Amon.


	6. A Story

AN: Hee hee! There is already a person who guessed the riddle, but they were wrong! her guess was:

**All the titles so far refer to episodes of original flavour!Avatar. A coin - Toph and Katara do scams, Combustion Man is given a name, "sweaty stinky genius!" A river - the Serpent's Pass. A doorway - Aang goes into the spirit world to mollycoddle a justifiably pissed off panda, or Aang unblocks all the chakras; doorways are huge in the Avatar!verse. A battle - the final battle which led to the unification of all benders and, eventually, Republic City, where this story takes place.**

It's super convoluted, huh? Yeah, it's waaaaay too complicated, the real answer is far simpler.

On a less interesting note, this is the last chapter I have written up, so I probably won't post until I can get everything sorted, with the plot of the show and how the characters fit in. This will take a while. If anyone has a link to the LoK episodes after Tarlock abducted Korra, please send it to me so I can get this done faster.

* * *

Chapter 5: A Story

_"What?! She left already?" Katara smiled at Ami._

_"Yes," Ami started running for the polar bear-dogs, "Ami, Korra has to do this on her own. You cannot always be at her side." Ami sighed._

_"One sign of trouble, and I go after her!" Katara nodded and Ami stalked off. Korra's parents gave Katara a worried look._

_"Don't worry," Karata assured them as Ami tried to get on the radio waves from Republic city on her own radio, "if she really is in danger, she'll have Ami with her when it happens."_

* * *

Ami stared out of the storm sewer drain. Korra and Mako were having a moment behind her, and it made her more than a little jealous. She couldn't stop thinking of Nero and his family. _Are they safe? Has someone captured them?_ Either side could have, they were neither benders or equalists. She didn't want them to be equalists, but neutral was a dangerous position to take. She looked back to Korra, who was turned away as Mako retreated. She sat down next to Korra and leaned back on Naga.

"Want to talk about it?" Korra turned around and Ami smiled at her.

"I...I don't know what's going on..." Ami shifted closer and Korra rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

"Well, do you still feel the same way about him as before?"

"Do I still think he's my soul mate? I _thought_ so... but he obviously cares so much about Asami."

"But before Pema, Tenzin probably cared about the Chief. Hell, he probably dated before Lin, too. But it didn't matter, once he realized how much he loved Pema."

"But, I _like_ Asami. She's a nice girl, and she's been so helpful with everything. I don't want to break them up just because I think I should be dating him instead. That's so selfish!"

"Korra, you are one of the least selfish people I've ever met. And personally, I think he loves you, too. I don't mean to be rude, but Asami can just forget it." Korra chuckled.

"So, what about you? How're you holding up?" Ami let out a shaky sigh.

"I...when we went underground, I didn't realize how much I would miss him. I didn't even get to say goodbye." Korra felt a warm wetness in her hair and turned to hug Ami. She sniffled and apologized as she wiped her face on her sleeve."I just... the last time I saw him, he was so badly injured, and, and if it happens again, I won't be there to heal him. I'm scared, Korra," Ami sobbed, curled into a ball as Korra rubbed her back between her shoulders.

The next morning, Ami was gone, a note left in her place. _I know of a rally going on tonight, and I need a distraction. I brought Pabu with me — sorry, Bolin — and if I get into any trouble he'll find you and bring you to the rally. I promise to be very careful, and I'm really sorry that I left today of all days, but it's the penultimate meeting, after this, Amon seems to be under the impression that he won't need his little club meetings anymore. Wish me luck! —Ami_

Korra clenched the note in her fist and paced.

Ami slipped a brown jacket over her outfit of a navy blue shirt and brown pants and wrapped a scarf around most of her face. Her hair was in a single braid down her back, and her black boots were silent as she walked into the arena. The equalists were already cheering as Amon spoke to them. As Ami quietly listened, she skimmed the crowd. Most were in similar clothes to hers, ragged worn and not element associated in the least. Some had on electric gloves and some had simpler weapons like swords or clubs, and some had none at all.

Nero stood near the center or the arena. He clapped with the others, but he and Mika were looking for someone. They had agreed to stop going to the equalist rallies, but first Mika wanted to make sure her girlfriend got out, too. Soo Lee had joined after a group of tripple-threats tried to attack the two of them one night and almost killed them both. Soo Lee always escaped before the metal benders could catch her, Mika made sure of it before she even set foot outside of a rally.

"If it wasn't for me, she might not even be here. I have to make sure she gets out safely, too," Mika explained. A familiar ponytail was spotted in the crowd, and Mika called her name. She turned her head and smiled as she ran over.

"There's my favorite Kiyoshi warrior," she joked as she wrapped her arm around Mika. Mika smiled and kissed her.

"I missed you too, but we have something important to ask you about." Mika looked over at Nero. "We're done being equalists, after this meeting we won't be going to anymore rallies. And I want you to quit, too." Soo Lee unwrapped her arms from around Mika.

"What, why would you do that?"

"This whole thing is getting out of hand," Nero said. "We joined so that the people who've attacked us could be punished, but there's no need for all the other things Amon's doing to benders. They're all terrified, triad or not. And besides, if Amon takes over the city, he can do it without us." Soo Lee's brow furrowed.

"Alright, but if we're going against this, we better be ready to fight. Something tells me they won't be too keen on deserters." Nero nodded and Mika hugged her just before a fight broke out. Several of the equalists were thrown away from a water bender as the water in the arena incased and extended her arms. A scarf covered most of her face, but as Nero pushed through the crowd, her identity became clear.

_Our injuries were gone. She was friends with a pro bender. Of _course_._

Ami did a double take when she saw Nero in the crowd around her. She'd had no idea how, but suddenly the whole arena knew she was a bender and jumped her. She fought them off with tentacles of water, but she stopped for an instant when she saw him.

_He had injuries from going somewhere at night that his siblings couldn't talk about. Of_ course.

With one more brutal swing of the water, Ami and Pabu swiftly escaped.

Nero ran over the fallen equalists and out of the arena, Mikka and Soo Lin followed with a shared confusion.

"Nero, what are you _doing_," Mikka shouted.

"It's Ami! She's the reason we had no injuries after the rally! She's a waterbender, and she healed us!" Even though Nero was the closest to Ami, Mikka launched herself over a telephone wire and landed in front of Ami.

She squealed in surprise and jabbed Mikka's right arm and down her spine, once Mikka's chi was blocked she leapt over her and kept running. In one fell swoop Nero and Soo Lin picked up Mikka and kept running.

"So why are we chasing her if we're not equalists anymore?"

"'Cause, Soo," Mikka said, her mouth the only thing still under her control, "Nero's got it bad for her—"

"—and if I don't explain everything she'll _hate_ me!"

Korra, who was sick of waiting, had gotten in a satomobile with Mako, the first person to volunteer to drive her, and was white-knuckling the side of the car as they drove at top speed down the lamp lit streets. In the distance, she spotted Ami.

"Mako, slow down!" He did, and when they were close enough Korra jumped from the car and landed next to Ami as Mako swerved the car into a shield-like position between them and the former equalists. Korra wrapped her arms around her friend and lifted up her face to wipe off her fresh tears.

"Hey Korra..."

"Yeah Ami?"

"D'you remember when we were little and I said I'd only fall for someone we were fighting if he switched sides?" Korra's stomach dropped.

"Yeah," she said tentatively.

"Oops." As Ami silently collapsed into Korra's shoulder, Nero and Soo Lin caught up to her. Korra took stock of her friend, and quickly realized that, like when they had first met, life had taken it's toll on Ami's health once again. Nero tried to give Mikka over to Soo Lin and go to Ami, but Mako stood up on the seats of the open topped vehicle and let loose a quick, startling burst of fire to keep him back. Nero backed away, his hands up.

"Please... is she okay?" Korra scowled at him, her poisonous glare burning his skin.

"No, she's not. She traveled eight days to get here because I was captured, she was forced to move into the sewers, and _you_ finally broke her. Now believe me, if she hadn't gone through any of that, I would still fight the equalists. But now you've gone and hurt my friend in more ways than a little _shit_ like you has any right to be able to. Now, it's _war_."

* * *

AN: Protective!Korra... had to happen. Also, so did chi-blocker Ami. I feel like she would have learned that as a hobby one week. Guessing for the riddle is still open!


End file.
